Top sound setup for sub 300

It would help if you post your computer specs, especially the motherboard.

You may not need a sound card if the mobo sound is good. You may need a sound card or a separate dac/amp if you want to buy headphones that a mobo chip can't power. I wouldn't worry about SNR (or THD)too much, most humans can't tell the difference above 80(don't get too hung up with SNR). You can see sound card specs saying they have 124 SNR and your mobo says 96, well unless your computer is introducing noise, you should be fine. Get what sounds best to you.

Best thing is to be able to try before you buy. There are many choices in the 300.00 range from companies like Koss, Grado, Hifiman AKG, Stax and etc. OF course if you add a sound card or dac/headphone amp into the mix, that lowers the price amount of the money for the "cans". First rule of thumb when it comes to audio, buy the best speakers you can afford. Sound is very subjective, what sounds best for you might not sound good for me and visa versa.

ssddx has a pretty good start on Tom's about headphones. Read up on this and other forums:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2155695/guide-headphones-headsets-microphones.html#13361362

Happy listening, the Prisoner

@thee

thanks for the shout out... i did add alot more to the "types" of headphones just the other day but it is so much work that i still have a long way to go. if you could breeze through how i have it laid out and send me a pm on your thoughts that would be helpful. not sure if i have it laid out exactly how it should be or not.

@op
you need to make a few choices:

-do you want good low end bass or did you want ultra crisp highs? you will not be able to have both as no perfect headphone exists. headphones which hit harder tend to have just a bit of muddyness in the highs although some arent bad at all. headphones that tend to be sibilant and high/mid focused may not hit with hard bass.

-did you want open or closed headphones? open headphones are generally less bassy than closed designs. open has more of a soundstage. a good soundstage analogy is that open sounds like you are listening to a concert outside in a field. sound is ambient and all around with clear directionality and an airy sound to it. closed is like listening to a band in a bar or club. sound is in your face, not as ambient, typically a little bit less clear but it also has more bass presence. closed headphone also are sound isolating while open sets leak sound in and out. closed are somewhat hot to wear for extended periods of time while open are a bit cooler

if you want high end clarity:
-sennheiser hd598, akg k701

if you want low end bass but still decent highs:
-audiotechnica m50s, beyerdynamic dt770pro-80

if you want to travel the midground:
-certain beyerdynamic dt880 or dt990 models

there are of course other models available... but you need to make your preferences known to us. (answer my earlier questions)


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as far as soundcards are concered you need to make choices as well:

-do you need virtual surround? if yes, you need a soundcard. if no, you can use an external dac+amp

-do you need to be able to connect up pc speakers in the future? if yes, you need a soundcard. if no, you can use an external dac+amp

as far as a soundcard... i would recommend the asus xonar dx. its not terribly expensive but has a good dac and half decent amp. it will be fine for most headphones although some might require an amp. if you did not need virtual surround or the other features you could even get away with a xonar dg however its not going to be as good of a dac inside but i think it handles more powerful headphones. what models work depend on what headphones you want so pick your headphones first and then we can discuss soundcards.

alternatively... you could go with a dac+amp combo. the audioengine d1 is about $120 and is very highly recommended. it may not have virtual surround or have all the fancy jacks that soundcards do or software but it does have it where it counts and has good clear sound and a decent dac.

@ssddx, no problem btw you can call me the "Prisoner".

Also they make semi-open headphones. I've heard some pretty good ones.

I heard these about a year ago at HiFi convention and offer a unique way to get closed, semi open to fully open. If I didn't already have too many sets of "cans", I might of bought them! haha. http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic...qid=1405619165&sr=8-1&keywords=custom+one+pro

Be seeing you, the Prisoner...

Creative Z sound card is a good choice. I own the card in one of my computers because the on board audio chip was getting flaky. The sound card will be great for gaming, music and movies. And it will drive headphones up to 600 ohms. The problem with buying a sound card is that it might not be needed and it will reduce your headphone budget. It also has a nice mic. http://us.creative.com/promos/SoundBlasterZseries/.

I'm familiar with your mobo and it has good sound. Adding a sound card or a dac/amp will improve the sound but whether you can hear the difference is suspect in the 150-250.00 range for headphones, I don't believe that 96% of people will notice a difference. I guess it depends if paying an extra 100.00 plus is worth the actual or perceived gain.

My advice is get some good cans, listen to them and if they fulfill your requirements, keep them for awhile because they may require some break in time.
If you feel the need to get a sound card/dac, you can try that out later.

Sound is subjective, the Prisoner...

if you intend to be mobile it may be a better move for you to get a portable amplifier and/or dac instead of a soundcard or external desktop dac. a desk amp is going to be a bit more full featured of course but its not portable.

you could technically use it both on the go and at home.

now ... as far as what would work with the 250ohm...

fiio e11 $59 - its just an amp (no dac) so you wont be getting any quality increases from using a better dac but it will provide more output than your phone can. it should power those cans unless you like to listen at very low volumes or at very very high volumes and also without any sort of bass boost. its a toss up between people who think that its fine for those cans and people who seem to think it struggles. likely this depends on the kind of music you listen to (bassy music is more demanding). you could pair it up with any of the fiio portable amps if you use the L7 dock connector adapter with it.

fiio e12 $129 - this is known to power headphones up to 600ohm so should be more than sufficient to bring out the best in your 250ohm headphones. its just an amplifier so no dac though. if all you wanted was an amplifier then this is the one i'd likely go with to be sure it works to drive your headphones without issue for any music type. again, while it would break the budget you could pair this up with one of fiios dacs if you use the dock connector adapter L7.

e17 or e18 $139, $159 - these can be considered to be similar to a dac added onto the e11 amp. they will likely power your headphones well enough for listening but not to 100% of their capabilities.

other than those.... things start to get rather expensive very quickly for portables... with many costing $250 or more. fiio has some of the cheapest options which honestly do not sound bad at all for the price. they can do this because they are all made in china.

in comparision... for about $210 you could get a dac/amp for desktop use only which could power headphones even up to 600ohm without issue and also its top notch. the audioengineD1 for $120 is going to struggle (similar to how the e11/e17/e18 would) but for a desktop only solution it may work.

In terms of the mobo after reading the specs and manual it doesn't say how many ohms it handle. Most good quality mobos can handle up to 64 ohms.
So I'm pretty dang sure that if you wan't to use the on board sound without dac/amp or sound card, it won't work well with headphones that need more power.

the audioengineD1 might not quite be powerful enough to completely take advantage of the dt990 but it should power them (see my previous post) and is generally regarded as a decent budget dacamp but a bit too light for 250ohm headphones.

the fiio e09k for $109 is also a good choice. it can definitely power 250ohm headphones but may not be at quite the same quality level of some (often much more) expensive options.

provided that you do not mind spending the cash, the schiit modi+magni combo is excellent and you would be hard pressed to find better value for your dollar than that set.

of course there could be some other options.... i only listed some that i know of and which i've read more than a few sentences on.

that is not a simple question to answer.

some might think that something like the $200 M/M combo is great for the price while others might question it.

a true fact is that to get 100% out of the dt990- 250ohm model which is pretty hard to drive, you need a fairly powerful amplifier. if talking about externals... at minimum the fiio i mentioned above which would definitely power the headphones but might not be at the same quality level.

likewise, the creative z should have enough oomph to drive the headphones but with all those features in a soundcard for only $80 its not quite at the same quality level as some of the other choices.

i do not personally own the magni+modi so can only recommend it based on countless reviews and recommendations of people more audio-savvy than myself.

here are is a thread on the e09k vs magni+modi (but there are more if you go looking)
http://www.head-fi.org/t/655909/fiio-e07k-e09k-vs-schiit-magni-modi

generally the e09k is considered "good" for the price paid (a relatively cheap $109) while the magni+modi combo is considered better in almost every way but also costs $100 more. after you start getting into the modi+magni prices start to skyrocket with diminishing returns on specs and performance.

completely your choice as to what you get. if you are not sure, then i would suggest reading over at head-fi on reviews of the products.

the $80 creative Z, $109 fiio e09k or $210 schiit magni+modi should all work. quality will be in that same order as well. how far you wish to go up that ladder is completely your own choice which is why i listed multiple options at different price ranges.

usb is pretty much plug and play.

optical allows you to potentially use a soundcard in th future which might allow you to get virtual surround. i'm not sure about it but i believe this is the case. optical also has better isolation between the pc and dac and potentially better sound.

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if you intended to use it with a laptop and pc, or just a laptop then usb is better since not all laptops have optical. also realize that usb bypasses all internals on your computer meaning that if you want the modi to do everything then this is the way to do it.

if you intended it to be desktop only and wanted slightly better sound provided you have an optical out jack as well as the option to have it connected to a soundcard in the future then optical would work.

pick whichever suits your needs better. generally though it seems as if audiophiles are abuzz over the optical version however both versions get high praise. some people even bought both versions (though i too find that excessive)

http://www.head-fi.org/t/640785/schiit-modi-usb-dac/450

one thing to note... some headphones require "burn in time" before they sound optimal. i would look this up and comply with it before you make any judgements about sound quality.

just an fyi.